Deklen Crossett, 4, a preschool student at Riverside Early Learning Center, gave his definition Wednesday as he celebrated 100 days of preschool with 100 snack items. The school starts a week later than the other schools in the district, which had their 100th day last week.

“It’s a lot,” he said.

His teacher, Hilary Ronnfeldt, used the idea of 10 examples of 10 different snacks to help introduce her students to the concept.

“It’s a fun way to introduce it,” Ronnfeldt said. “You break it up. It’s 10 items of 10 different snacks put together. It helps them put it together visually.”

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Riverside Early Learning Center teacher Hilary Ronnfeldt talks about the number 100 as a group of her students learn by enjoying 100 snacks for the first 100 days of school on Wednesday.

Of course, 100 might be something for next year.

“Twenty is our milestone,” she said.

Enjoying 100 snack items was just part of the way the students got to celebrate their 100th day of school. They also got to wear costumes reflecting the concept of a century.

Crossett had decorated his shirt with colorful fuzzy balls and a whole bunch of plastic googly eyes.

“There’s a lot of eyeballs,” he said.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Riverside Early Learning Center students Maya Siegert, at left, compares a piece of popcorn with her classmate Blaze Benedict Wednesday as they celebrate 100 days of school with 100 snack items.

He choose both for a simple reason.

“Because I like them,” he said.

The motif has another fringe benefit — it might come in handy down the road for Halloween.

“It’s creeped out,” he said.

Another student, Bentley Dahlhauser, 5, donned a shirt with a bandage theme. It was even lettered.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Riverside Early Learning Center student Blaze Benedict, at left, watches his classmate Ayvah Williams hands him a packet of snacks she just opened for him Wednesday as they celebrated 100 days of school with 100 snack items.

“I survived the first 100 days.” the lettering said.

To complete the motif, he wore two bandages on his head.

The first 100 days have zipped by for Ronnfeldt.

“It’s crazy to think we’re already 100 days into the school year,” she said. “It feels like it’s flying by.”

She’s also expecting that a few parts and pieces of the students’ costumes, be it a bandage, heart or googly eye, will be discovered later, much later.

“Some of the kids have already picked up a googly eye,” she said